Planes use flaps to land and to take off. So why do they retract them while they are on the ground, ie why not just leave them deployed?
In: Engineering
Depending on the manufacturer, some require flaps up when taxiing through slush/snow, as well as during and after de-ice/anti-ice sprays. I imagine it’s to keep contaminants out of the flap tracks. And yeah I guess there’s that point about highjacking, although just because they’re down, doesn’t mean they’re automatically gonna send SWAT. I imagine it’s usually associated with a 7500 code or Mayday. But mostly, I would just say it’s good airmanship. Use something, then put it away.
The only exception I can see is for short field landing techniques. The goal is to immediatly take the weight off the wings and into the tires so you can dive on the brakes. Lifting the flaps right at touchdown can help the weight transfer.
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